Bernie Ecclestone still thinks engine switch to V6 a bad idea for Formula One

Formula One’s V8 engines have already roared for the last time, but F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone still thinks moving to turbo V6s next year is a bad idea.

Asked by the Spanish sports newspaper Marca if he thinks the radical rules shift for 2014 was necessary, the F1 chief executive answered: "No, I don't, but let's wait and see."

Ecclestone, 83, also said he he thinks forcing teams to spend extra in already tight economic conditions is a mistake.

"I think it is a mistake, but I don't think it is going to change Formula One," he said. "We have changed the rules many times and it has always been the same sport."

But Ecclestone admitted he is still worried about the milder sound of the new turbo engines: "What we had is good, everyone likes it, so why change it? It was thought that, if we had smaller engines, more manufacturers would be attracted to Formula One. But nobody else seems to be coming.”